St. Patricks Day (Limerick)

St Patrick was extremely bright

Came to Ireland to teach what was right

To show he's no fake

He got rid of the snake

Now we all sleep much better at night

Blessings

While it’s older I am getting My mind is still quite young It is there I hope to keep it Fresh and alive, not stung I have no conception of age Though sometimes, the body gets rattled But that’s a part of life Get it settled and on with the battle I have never been on a diet I have worked out so very little I have eaten everything on my plate And I am anything but brittle Yes, I’ve had a few setbacks But not enough to break the rock Thank God for all his blessings And I come from great auld stock Then what keeps it all together When attacked from around the bends It’s the strength and love of family And connection with dear old friends Michael Christopher Daly March 1, 2008

"ALL SOULS NIGHT"

T’was “All Souls Night in Limerick City long ago
When Franklin and myself, decided where we’d go
As Catholics, we would visit all the churches we could find
Say a prayer in all of them, for the souls we had in mind
As the evening passed to night, St. Mary’s our last Church
We said some extra prayers, leaving no one in the lurch

We walked on out to Corbally, from there we’d turn back home
Knowing we had done our bit, for the souls that were forlorn
Beyond ‘Dago O’Driscolls, so well famous for the jar
We stopped at Corbally Bridge, happy we had walked this far
The road back to town, was well lit at for all to see
But halfway over the bridge all lights ceased to be

Just then we heard a baby’s cry, from under the bridge it felt
We both jumped down the steps to offer the baby our help
The crying stopped, we looked around and silence met our ears
So back we climbed to the bridge, in each of us a little fear
I looked across the span, saw a man walking in alone
Franklin saw him too, just then the baby’s moan

We hit the steps again, running faster this time
The moaning stopped, so did we, then began our second climb
A look across the bridge, the man had left no trace
He didn’t pass; he didn’t go back, just disappeared in space
The moaning came and away we ran, all aglow with fright
With a memory, we have rarely told about our “All Souls Night

Michael Christopher Daly
Sept 10th, 2005

"A Limerick 2"

There once was a man from the Nile Who wore nothing else but a smile He was caught in the buff By a cop with a cuff Now, he is gone away for a while

"A Limerick"

There was a young man from Clonmel Who made love with every Belle Till a voice from a cloud spoke out quite loud With directions to a place called "HELL''

Did You Do It?

Did it ever happen to you

Strolling streets where you were born

Strangers getting your attention

By blowing on their horn

Asking for directions

Of a street you did not know

So you gave instructions

On which way that they should go

They thanked you for your help

And drove away content

Because the Village idiot

Couldn’t stand embarrassment

You could have said “I’m sorry,

I don’t recognize that street ”

But you had to look intelligent

And hide your indiscreet

Many years has past since then

Yet it has always crossed my mind

How could I have done such a thing

It was Oh so very unkind

To put them on a merry go round

And act just like a fool

It might be just the reason why

Later on, I returned to school

m.c.d6,2006

"Beliefs"

How do we get the fighting to stop
with the threat of death all around
There must be a way or someone out there
with a plan that is basically sound

Is religion the answer? or is it the cause
For the hate that prevents the cure
For each to his own, in what he believes
As he is sure it's the only one pure

But is seems to be true, that we fight for beliefs
And not for the home or the sod
Only one man is free from all of this grief
As he says "I'm An Atheist"....."Thank God"

Michael Christopher Daly
1993

"Vampire"

The traveler arrived in the dark of night With no sound to his feet and the sun out of sight Impeccably clad, in tails and bow tie Not making acquaintances, he appeared quite shy He asked for a room with a deep baritone voice Close to the cellar was his first choice His baggage would follow, sometime in the morn The register didn't show, where he was born He turned down an offer to have some food Said he would drink later, when he'd be in the mood With a swish of his cape he bid them godnight And he left through the door, a swaggering sight The following morn, the town was in grief When a young lady's body, was found by a thief No blood anywhere,not even a speck But two little holes in the back of her neck Later that day, when the sun had gone down Very little people could be seen in the town The traveler came up, from the cellar below No longer pale faced, he was all aglow He said very little as he ordered red wine Just a business meeting around about nine He took long strides as he walked out of sight Knowing it was here, that he had his first bite Michael Christopher Daly 2005

The Golfer

"Four" he shouts, like he knows what he's doing
He shapes up again, to show he's not fooling
he has their attention, which he intends to keep
After all, he's a golfer, awake, not asleep

The green lies ahead, he has picked his spot
Sure there;s nothing to it, at least not a lot
He has watched the tele, seen how it's done
No need to worry, head covered from the sun

Slow backswing, follow through, turning into it as well
He took some lessons, it will turn out swell
Let them watch his form, a golfer, that's true
He has got it all and he knows it too

With the swish of his club, showing all his gall
But he lifted his head and missed the ball
The language he sputtered, would alarm the Constabulary
Yet he learned from this.....with an increased Vocabulary

Michael Christopher Daly
2005

The Political Circus

I am so tired of Politicians and Politics Journalists and talking heads Speech writers and Advisors Hardly sleeping in their beds The Unions forcing their members To vote for the Unions choice And if they don’t, they might loose their jobs So, that’s not very nice The bickering of all the candidates Digging for dirt on one another It’s hard to tell as they spit it out If they even had love for their mother I’m tired of listening to their buzz words “I’m for Change and I’m for Hope” Don’t ask them what they mean by that If you accept it, you’re the dope Some changes that I would like to see So that we can elect the best Is to cut the number of candidates And they must pass a test They must have a solid background In Government and Global Affairs And show a voting record Of an individual who really cares There should be a spending limit Each candidate’s limit the same Let’s stop this buying the position Let’s stop this wasteful game We need the best candidate we can get It shouldn’t take two years of poles To bring one individual from each party To lay before us, their Parties goals What we don’t need in the White House now Is someone who will be a Resident What we do need in the Whitehouse now Is a man who will be “OUR PRESIDENT”? Michael Christopher Daly: Jan.24, 2008

When It's Time

The fishing line's been cast A friend hooked and pulled up fast A dear departed soul has met demise We are left, to pray to the skies Science wants us to think, we can live forever Advertizing, cures by their drugs is clever We ,take the bait they throw us for pain Pills side affects, adds to their monetary gain Pharmaceuticals make money on the sale of pills Cures offer little, it lessens their tills The doctor we need is watching over all You can bet he will answer, if we will only call Our time on earth, is in his hands Science, Pharmaceuticals, don't play in his band Drugs won't work when the line's been cast So prepare yourself, don't worry, you'll be pulled up fast. Michael Christopher Daly 11/16/2005

"HELLO AMERICA"

When I stepped off The Ivernia, in Feb.1956 New York displayed the flavor of, its international mix The liner had docked a little late, at Pier Fifty Two And I stood and stared, as all emigrants do People standing by baggage, were all over the place Trying to recognize or be recognized, by a familiar face With my Irish Tweed Overcoat and x-rays under my arm I began to realize, I had little to offer with my Irish Charm A few moments before, coming up the Hudson River The Magestic Statue Of Liberty made my body quiver The Skyscrapers I saw in the movies, were looking down on me And I realized some more, as to how small I could really be Then I saw who I was looking for, things began to ease Arms stretched around each other, enjoying and Irish Squeeze Nora, had a tear in her eye and I must say, so did I Two long years had past, when we said “Goodbye” People still running both on and off the boat There was I with my love and my Irish Tweed Overcoat The day was ending fast, as our cab sped up the Highway I was twisting my neck, wanting to see each and every byway I looked at Nora’s eyes, as she looked back at mine We didn’t have to say a word, our eyes were doing fine My window faced the river, lying as quiet as any lake Reflecting brilliant lights of a bridge, I thought was fake Suddenly, that bridge was in view and it took my breath away I told myself, I could make it here, on this, my very first day This is just my memory, embedded forever, in my mind I love you New York City, for being so helpful and so kind Michael Christopher Daly October 8th, 2007

"Old Lovers

Young lovers that walk hand in hand reminds me of the time When I was in that magic land and when true love was mine The night and stars were all a part of everything I knew My bosom swelled with a lovers heart that grew and grew and grew But a Seniors love is just as great and stronger I might say Because the time that's left to them is more precious every day A love that's lasted all these years deserves to be in rhyme Just like the forests tallest tree It withstands the test of time. Michael Christopher Daly Feb., 2002

'THE BLISTER SISTERS"

I passed it this morning, on the wall was a sign The name had changed, to School of Arts and Design I stood there looking in, now that was a change I stared through the gates as this was quite strange In the poem "The Long Can", I had wrote about this place Where the nuns took in laundry and young girls in disgrace They had done that forever, even before I was born They worked round the clock, through night and morn The young girls suffered, at the hand of the sisters Who had no trouble at all dishing out blisters Now, why the change what brought this about Could it be some of the girls, escaped, got out? Yes, this is true and the stories been told By four young girls, who were strong and bold The Magdalene Sisters, ran Good Shepherd Convent With the cheapest of labor in any Continent Getting pregnant out of wedlock, was a major embarrassment As the Church and Parents, forced them in harassment The girls were young and for their sins had to pay The children that were born there, were just given away The Magdalene's were well known throughout Europe With operations the same and the girls with no hope Well time changes everything, like day into night Now the Convents Laundries, are no longeer in sight Who's to blame, for what took place Was it he, who created the Human Race? "Gods" not to blame, he gave humans a mind With the ability to reason, be fair and be kind The lesson here, is to learn how to live As for the sins commited, learn to forgive Michael Christopher Daly Oct. 9, 2005

Think About It

I awoke with a start and looked all around I found nothing stirring, to go with the sound I looked through my window, ugly with bars I look toward the sky, without any stars Sleep had left me, through the darkness I stared Left my mind wonder, as much as I dared I remember sthe times when there was no fear No need for protection, when someone came near I remember , but vaguely a prayer in the school Was his name God? or am I just a fool There was also a flag and a pledge of support That also disappeared, with the help of the court There's that sound again, it seems outside "AH" it's good I know , to be inside His voice I can hear"Let in, please help me" " I've been stabbed in the back, Someone ,please help me" You're a fool ,my man you cry on deaf ears No one helps anyone, for years and years Now , it's quiet outside, he must be dead To go outside at night, he was crazy in the head Who does one turn to,at a time like now When to exist is a problem, of just plain how There must be someone, far or near to this sod "AH Yes, now I remember IT'S GOD," ..... "GOD" ....."GOD" Michael Christopher Daly Aug. 1955

Think About It

The Golden Years

All through life, certain things remain Death and paying taxes, play together in this game Our youth is spent so fearlessly, we live without a care Enjoyment is the nectar sought, to answer any dare The early years pass so fast, we never stop to think Of all things we need to know because we're in the pink We work and save for the future, to retire in the Golden Years Then to have fun and frolic, in the sun amid our peers We have gained all the knowledge, all we can about life Saved enough to cover ourselves, from any upcoming strife Yes we have covered ourselves the best way that we could But did we really cover ourselves, as fully as we should To know for sure about the Golden Years, You need to talk with "God" If you do so he will answer you and then give you the nod You'll awake anew in the promised land and he will wipe away your tears It is there, you see, you will understand, when and what are "THE GOLDEN YEARS" Michael Christopher Daly Dec. 26, 2005

"TWO LOVES" I have two loves within this life of both, it's hard to choose One is young and beautiful and her I'd hate to loose The other is meek, gentle and kind her love for me is deep No matter what might happen her love I will surely keep As day and night shall come and pass I will love them in this life For as you see, one is my daughter the other is my wife Michael Christopher Daly 1957 1957

"Silence"

How very, very wise of you
to never say a word
You seem to be above everything
Somewhat, like a soaring bird

You listen quite attentively
and now and again nod your head
You appear to be thinking over
Whatever has been said

Then you rise and walk away
Leaving us standing there
In awe of the way you take things in
Yet. leaving us so bare

Yes, intelligence is magical
and silence soft and meek
Or does it mean You're Stupid
and have no wish to speak

Michael Christopher Daly
10/23/66

"Simple Things"

Out the road a few miles, we'd run as a group You couldn't join in, if you didn't own a hoop Not anyone would do it required get up and go It had to have spokes and not buckled you know Then a stick to guide it and smack its round rim To make it go faster and help us stay slim Our journeys were great and distances grew From one mile to ten and "OH" how time flew As older you became, a whole bike was yours Much easier by far to continue our tours We saved shoe leather and softness in the hands Wondering if this happened, in any other lands T'was a time in our youth, before acne and pimples What a wonderful time when all things were simple